Abstract
As faculty, our ultimate goal is student success. Higher education is often fast-paced, and students are juggling multiple roles and responsibilities. Many students learning online have children, careers, and are older than traditional college-age students. Adding college to an already full plate can create symptoms of burnout or due to the added stress may impact the well-being of students. By exploring how to identify various mental health issues and illnesses that students may present, the chapter will give knowledge, language, and understanding. This chapter presents common mental health issues that students may experience. Information will also be presented on how faculty can help students grow to reach their full potential as students while providing a supportive online classroom environment.
TopBackground Of Mental Illness In The Classroom/Common Mental Health Issues
Online education can be a preferred mode of learning for people with mental health disabilities. An online classroom often allows students to coordinate schoolwork around their disability, work, and family commitments (McManus et al., 2017). The flexibility of the online classroom was cited as an advantage by students who noted the positive impact on their overall learning experience (Turan et al., 2022). Yet, Sniatecki et al. (2015) found that faculty often have more negative attitudes towards students with mental health issues above other disabilities. This can create attitudinal barriers to education for those who are diagnosed with a mental health disorder.
People with mental illness can struggle in online education. Part of the criteria of a mental health diagnosis is that it must significantly impair day to day function (American Psychiatric Association, 2022), which includes school. Mental health issues can limit students’ self-perceived ability to finish assignments, and the stress from assignments can often trigger mental health symptoms. When this happens students will often put off assignments until their mental health feels more under control, which can create a scenario where their work will be late, as well as increase anxiety and stress due to the looming deadline (McManus et al., 2017). Students who have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder are less likely to successfully complete their education than their peers who have no diagnoses (McEwan & Downie, 2013).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Depression: A mental health disorder classified as a mood disorder, in which its main symptom is feeling sadness, which impacts a person’s ability to function day-to-day.
Mental Health: A state of being that involves a person’s psychological, emotional, and social wellbeing.
Anxiety: A mental health classification; its hallmark is the feelings of worry, fear, and possibly panic.
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A mental health disorder characterized by impulsivity, attention difficulty, and hyperactivity. Commonly diagnosed in childhood but lasts into adulthood.
Bipolar: A mental health disorder in which a person’s mood shifts from highs and lows, sometimes extreme highs and lows, which impacts a person’s ability to function throughout the day for weeks to months on end.
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: (PTSD): A mental health disorder that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic event; often characterized by flashbacks and attempts to avoid trauma related situations.